Ahmed Ibeto, Nigeria’s ambassador to South Africa has resigned ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Ahmed arrived Nigeria from Pretoria on Sunday and on Monday morning, he handed over his letter of resignation at the Ministry of External Affairs.

The former Nigeria’s ambassador to South Africa renounced his membership of the ruling All Progressives Congress afterwards, and crossed over to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.

Though it couldn’t be confirmed if the envoy saw President Muhammadu Buhari before returning to Minna on Monday evening, however it was gathered that Ahmed Ibeto was a deputy governor of Niger State on the platform of PDP.

Punch reported that the Ibeto who has left Minna for his home town of Ibeto in Magama Local Government Area of the state, was received by over 1,000 supporters on his way to Ibeto. At Ibeto, it is expected he will officially resign his membership of the APC and assume PDP membership.

The former Ambassador who was a member of the PDP until the primary election of the party in November 2014, during which he lost the governorship ticket to Umar Nasko, a former Chief of Staff to ex-governor Babangida Aliyu, would join governorship race immediately he registered with PDP.

In 2014 after he resigned his membership of the PDP along with thousands of his supporters after complaining about “the injustice” melted to him by the then ruling party, he was the vehicle on which the incumbent APC governor rode to victory, leading his campaign to all the 274 wards in the state.

Also, last year, he was was appointed an ambassador and posted to South Africa by President Muhammed Buhari.

Ibeto was a former Deputy Governor of Niger State, 2007 to 2015, former member, House of Representatives, 2003. He was also Senior Special Assistant on Protocol Matters to the governor of Niger State from 1999 to 2003.